Daytime naps vary, but don't total more than 3-4 hrs. Weight gain is great. Wets are good and poos have slowed down, but still great color/consistency. Don't think I have forceful letdown. I know her eating should be more efficient these days and hence, shorter. Is this a growth spurt? When will it get better? Can we do anything to help her? We're kind of letting her give us the cues and doing the best we can to support what we think she needs.
Oh, and she sleeps in her own room/crib though sometimes dad ends up on the couch with her to get her to stay asleep.

Re: 9 week growth spurt?!

The first thing I have to say is please, please, please do not co-sleep on the couch. It is the most dangerous way to co-sleep. A lot of the deaths blamed on co-sleeping occur when baby and adult are sharing a couch or upholstered chair. It's very easy for the adult to shift and the baby to roll into a gap between cushions and suffocate. If you're going to co-sleep, follow the rules and do it safely. . Firm mattress, no waterbeds or pillow tops. No voids between mattress and headboard or mattress and wall. No mounds of fluffy bedding and pillows. All adults must be drink, drug, and smoke-free. Adults with sleep disorders or who are morbidly obese should not co-sleep.

All that being said, I think that co-sleeping could be your best friend right now! If you can nurse in the side-lying position, you'll be able to latch baby on and, hopefully, drift back to sleep. No more hauling yourself up out of bed and down the hall to baby's room.

ETA: also, if baby sleeps well with dad on the couch, that's an indication that some of the night-waking may be due to loneliness. Babies don't like sleeping alone.

Re: 9 week growth spurt?!

Perhaps I could have been clearer:
Dad is sitting on the couch with baby in arms and, unfortunately, quite awake. I've tried co-sleeping several times and it just doesn't seem to work for any of us. She fidgets most of the time, keeping herself and us awake. And she is agitated during feedings while co-sleeping. I don't have a problem getting out of bed to get her. I was just wondering if this sort of trend in sleeping habits was commonplace and when sleep periods might start to lengthen again. I thought we were doing really well until this.

Re: 9 week growth spurt?!

Thanks for the clarification! Dad being wide-awake is obviously fine, from a baby safety standpoint. I have to admit that I totally when I hear the combination of the words "baby", "sleep", and "couch"!

Anyway, yes, this "regression" of sleep habits is totally normal and common. Why it happens... A lot of people point to teething, which often begins around 3 months, or new developmental milestones (babies who have just mastered rolling, for example, will often roll in their sleep and wake themselves up). And of course things like minor illnesses and ear infections can cause increased night-waking- if you're concerned about this angle, it might not hurt to have the pediatrician peek in your baby's ears.

Have you tried co-sleeping, with a tightly rolled towel in between you and baby to prevent the wiggling from being too annoying? How about a co-sleeper crib?

Re: 9 week growth spurt?!

Well, if it's a growth spurt, that means there's an end in sight! Thanks for the vote.

Mommal - Have to admit, I got a kick out of your second post. Love the icons you used - ha! Do you really think teething could be starting this early? My mom has been saying so for at least a week, but I thought for sure it was too soon. Everything I'm reading makes me think it's early. But, she gums my shirt A LOT when she's up on my shoulder and has a really strong "chomp" at times. What are people's thoughts on amber necklaces and what age to introduce them?

Re: 9 week growth spurt?!

Question on co-sleeping: how do people deal with the startle reflex while sleeping? i've talked to other moms and they don't know what i'm talking about. our only answer so far has been swaddling. seems this wouldn't work very well with co-sleeping.

Re: 9 week growth spurt?!

thank you! i went to a mom's group a few weeks ago and not only felt horribly unfeeling for not co-sleeping, but i was the only one swaddling and was somewhat led to feel like i was encouraging my little sweetheart to feel like she was being abandoned by swaddling. It's a much longer story than that cryptic snipit, but we've come through it ok. Still not sure if co-sleeping is right for us, but it's nice not to feel demonized for swaddling at least and that the two can go hand in hand.